Decatur’s commission recently approved expanding a school safety zone on South Candler Street, something long sought for by the city and surrounding neighborhood.
First, the zone was lengthened from .21 miles to .42 miles, or from Candler/Green Street until 500 feet north of Candler/East Dougherty Street.
Second, Winnona Park Elementary was added to the school zone. Assistant City Manager David Junger pointed out that the Georgia Department of Transportation “gets a little funny” about including a school within a zone where the street doesn’t run past that school.
But in this case, the city convinced GDOT that Winnona students have been crossing South Candler for decades, now more than ever since that school’s enrollment has reached an all time high of 430.
The South Candler zone still includes Renfroe Middle, as it has for years. But because Renfroe and Winnona have different open/dismissal times, the enforcement duration has also been lengthened. Morning enforcement now runs from 7:15 until 8:55 a.m., while afternoon enforcement is 2:15 until 4:14 p.m. Speeds during these times are 25 mph.
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